Burn Out The Ash
by CrashCourse777
Summary: Orihime Inoue never pictured herself as the type who would knowingly submerge herself in with the mentally unwell, but when the fall of a friend causes her to seek a job at the town's mental hospital, Orihime begins to see insanity in a whole new light.
1. Chapter 1

**Yo! For those of you who have read my two previous stories and have chalked me up as an all humor writer, it's safe to say you're partially right. I really enjoy writing stuff that's light-hearted, but this multi-chapter idea just kept jumping up and down in my head and wouldn't shut up, and when the possible plots start screaming at you and whip out a bat, threatening to hit you in the shins if you don't write them down already, well, who am I to deny them any further?**

**Also unlike my two previous stories, this one's going to be a lot more Orihime centric, but no worries, I could never write a Bleach fic without Ulquiorra to steam up the place, heheh**

**So, cheers to my very first attempt at seriousness! Oh btw, not all the chapters are going to be this short, I'm going to try and push myself to write much longer chapters, lest I be whacked in the shins by a crazed plot with a chair =) I hope you all like it!  
**

**Disclaimer:** Sadly for me, I still don't own Bleach

"Insanity is the only sane reaction to an insane society." -Thomas Szas

**Chapter 1**

"So, please remind me again, why exactly do you wish to work in my facility?"

Orihime fidgeted under the man's piercing gaze as his two partners looked on, a fox-like smile on the silver haired one's lips.

"U-um, I want to be a psychiatrist and I thought that working here would maybe give me some good experience." Despite her nervousness, the lie slipped easily from hours of rehearsing it in her head.

The man smiled as he rested his cheek against a relaxed, closed hand. He observed her for what felt like an eternity until he seemed to have come to a decision. His smile enhanced. "Well then, Miss Orihime, welcome to the Las Noches Psychiatric Institute."

* * *

The gray clouds hung in the sullen sky as Sosuke Aizen gave Orihime a tour of his large institution. Orihime walked a few steps behind her new employer as he indicated to various wings of the building and listed off a number of rules she was to follow if she wished to work here. Orihime was only half listening as her mind was already pre-occupied, opting to stare down at her shoes. "As you can probably imagine, Miss Orihime, I am a very busy man," She quickly looked up at the sound of her name. "so I'm afraid I must return to my office now, but I'll let one of the other assistants know that you're here and they'll tell you everything you need to know. But for now, feel free to survey the building on your own until six o'clock, at which point you may go to the main dining hall, someone will be there to escort you." Aizen-sama, as he told her to address him as, smiled and Orihime felt a shiver go down her spine.

"Good luck." She watched his retreating back until he turned a corner and was no longer visible. She let out a breath she wasn't aware she had been holding. There was something about him that made the blood in her veins run cold, as if the pressure of a thousand worlds was suddenly dropped on her frame.

The hallway he had left her in was completely empty when she was finally able to move. She looked around for a clock, but was unable to find one to see how much time she had to herself. Orihime rubbed her upper arms as she walked around, her eyes observing the white walls, pausing at the occasional white door when she thought she heard something on the other side, and smiling shyly at whomever passed her, which was seldom.

She guessed she had been walking for about a half an hour and had only seen about two other people, one she assumed was some sort of doctor, judging by the white coat he wore, and how he seemed to not even notice her and was instead focused intently on the clipboard in his hands. She had only gotten a short glimpse at him when she passed him in the hall, and a shadow of her old smile played on her lips when he pushed his glasses up with one finger, reminding her of Ishida-kun. Strange, she thought, she'd never seen a doctor with pink hair before.

She sighed and looked out the window that lined the top half of the wall, the sky only a shade away from her own silvery orbs. The air was chilly, despite the summer season, the green of the grass looked dull in the melancholic weather. The tips of her fingers brushed against her lovely hairpins when she tucked a few loose, auburn tendrils behind her ear as her steps resounded in the hall. Her nerves were beginning to get on edge in the silence when all of a sudden her ears perked at a faint noise, it sounded like laughter.

Orihime quickly turned a corner, eager to escape the eerie stillness. Her shoes tapped against the tiled floor as her pace quickened. She followed the sound until she ended up in front of a set of double doors. She leaned her frame slightly towards the door and listened to the muffled talking and chatter coming from the other side. She smiled at the prospect of an actual human encounter in this solaced place, and stood on her tip toes in an attempt to see through the small window in the door, but was only able to make out a few blurry images due to the glass of the window having a fog appearance, for privacy no doubt.

The hall was empty on both of her sides, and Orihime really didn't want to wander any further without knowing where she was going. She should probably be getting to the main dining hall by now, and to do that she would need directions. Her knuckles rapped on the door. She waited a bit, but no one came to answer and the noise continued without halt.

Taking a reassuring breath, she gripped the knob of the door, slowly turning it as the noise from the room spilled at a much clearer volume. For a split moment, Orihime was unsure if she was in the right room, well, not that she was supposed to be in a specific place or anything.

It was loud, all the sounds meshing together to form one jumbled cacophony. If she concentrated, Orihime was able to single out the sounds of rough laughter, boisterous conversations filling the air, and the occasional hand slamming against a table or someone's back, various card games being played to entertain the room's many occupants.

Despite the amicable resonance, Orihime could tell that the people there were far from light-hearted. Feet tapped incessantly against the linoleum floor, fingers rapped continuously on the tabletops, dark shadows underlined most of the eyes in the room, eyes that had a drained look to them, but darting around enough to show that the person wasn't all dead just yet.

Everyone was clad in white, most likely the patient uniform, the problem being that Orihime couldn't tell who was part of the hospital staff, since everyone was dressed pretty much the same way. The overhead lights caused the white uniforms to take on an almost blaring quality, Orihime's eyes straining a bit from the brightness of it all . She thought they all looked kind of intimidating, and searched for the nicest looking person in the room she could ask directions from, when her silver eyes landed on a very familiar face, and her heart almost stopped in her chest.

Sitting in a chair by himself next to the window was the auburn beauty's entire reason for being here, staring down at the front lawn from their third story height, his brown eyes clouded over in thought, not taking in anything of the outside world.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime's hands trembled a bit with emotion as she hurried to her friend's side, paying no mind to all the stares she was getting. Ichigo started in his chair, his eyes widening when he saw her bounding towards him.

"Inoue! What are you doing here?" She stopped right in front of him, misty eyed. She couldn't believe that he was there, at only arm's length away. His hair was as uniquely orange as ever, even the strong way he held himself hadn't changed, the only difference she could see was that he was now wearing completely white clothing like the rest of the room's occupants. Realizing he had asked her a question and she was just standing there gaping like an idiot, Orihime quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve and laughed in relief.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Kurosaki-kun, I was so worried," she gave a smile that could outmatch the sun in it's brilliance, her emotions getting the best of her. Ichigo stood and looked happy to see her too, his usual scowl being replaced by a small smile. The man that had constantly been in her thoughts apologized for having worried her and she just barely repressed a blush.

"How did you get in here? I thought they didn't allow visitors during the weekdays," his brow furrowed in confusion. Orihime fidgeted a bit under his curious gaze. "Well, you see, heheh, I actually got a job here, it was the easiest way I could think of to make sure you were doing alright, and I didn't want you to get lonely here all by yourself! And since it's summer, I could use a job and all, oh Tatsuki'll be so glad to know you're not dead!"

Orihime inhaled deeply, she had managed to cut herself off early before she scared him away with a full on rant. Ichigo blinked a bit at the top speed she had been speaking at.

"You got a job here? That's great, Inoue." Orihime nodded her head and noticed the dark rings outlining her friend's eyes. Now that she was closer, she also noted how his clothes looked wrinkled, his index finger was quickly tapping against his leg, and his brown eyes seemed different somehow, darker.

"How have you been doing, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked, worried.

"I'm fine, just...haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately." His tapping increased and she noticed he had been blinking a lot, like he was afraid of dozing off for even a second. She fidgeted her hands a bit and shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She hadn't seen him in over a month, and already she could tell that something inside of him had changed. Her voice was quiet, but her eyes stared intently at his.

"You know, if you ever need to talk about anything, I'm always here. Nobody blames you for what happened, not even Ishida-kun...-" Something in Ichigo snapped, and in a flash his hands were wrapped around both her arms in a bruising grip. She gasped and looked at his frantic eyes with something akin to fear. His whole frame now seemed to be in a sort of frenzy.

"That wasn't me! _ He_ was in control, not me, please Inoue, you have to believe me." The hands gripping her upper arms tightened. Orihime could only stare at the person in front of her, could only look at the dark eyes that were drilling holes into her skull. She didn't know what he was talking about, wasn't sure what he meant about not being in control. She wanted to ask him, but the question died on her lips when his eyes continued to bore into hers. His chest heaved a bit from his slightly ragged breathing, and she could tell that something had definitely happened to change him this much. This wasn't the same Kurosaki-kun she remembered, the Kurosaki-kun she remembered would never lose his cool like this, would never harm her in any way. The person in front of her continued to constrict her arms, willing her to deem the words he was saying as truth.

"Please, you have to believe me!" She flinched when he raised his voice.

"O-of course, Kurosaki-kun, I believe you," even she could hear the shaking in her words. He was about to say something when two hands suddenly clasped down heavily on his shoulders .

Ichigo stiffened, releasing his hold of her and turned his head to see two men clad in white, almost like the patients only with jackets instead of shirts, standing on either side of him.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I think you've had enough free-time for today." One of the men said intimidatingly. Ichigo's breathing was shallow and uneven, he looked like he was having some internal conflict with himself over whether or not to go peacefully or to fight. Orihime stood stock still and watched silently as after a moment, his whole posture tensed. Her blood turned to ice when she saw something that she had never wished to see on his face ever again, not after what happened last time. A smile showing his white teeth formed at the corner of his lips and she shuddered when a dark chuckle released from his throat.

The two guards sensed that he was going to struggle, and the one on the right quickly whipped out a needle and syringe from inside his white jacket. The other seized hold of Ichigo's arms when he attempted to lunged at them and pinned them to his sides. The guard swiftly inserted the needle into Ichigo's arm with a focused hand, the clear liquid flowing from the syringe to the grappling teen's veins. The fire in his eyes died down as his body slumped in their grasps.

The two men promptly took hold of his arms and proceeded to drag his limp body from the now silent room, though none of the other occupants bothered to watch the scene before them, having seen something like it at least once in their time spent at the institution.

All the while, Orihime had just stood and stared silently at the display, one arm at her side, the other holding onto her upper arm, the dull throb from where Ichigo had gripped it still present.

Right before the two guards reached the door, one of them turned back to the quiet girl. "Inoue Orihime," her eyes shifted up to look at the one addressing her, but her face did not leave it's downcast position,"Aizen-sama welcomes you to Las Noches."


	2. Chapter 2

**A special thanks to Foxgrl18, Toph43, GinKitsune, superlative, MystiKoorime, and blackwingsgreeneyes for being the first to review chapter 1, I know it wasn't the most exciting first chapter in the world so thank you all for the encouragement and taking the time to review, they make me smile =)**

**On another note, I'm happy, this chapter is just about twice as long as what I normally write AND I got to see Let Me In in the theaters**

**Yay for real vampires!**

**Disclaimer: **Bleach is still not mine, bummer

"In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane."-Oscar Wilde

**Chapter 2**

By the time Orihime finally arrived at the main dining hall, it was already well past six, the large room was dark as she peered in through the little windows on the doors. The chairs were stacked upside down on the long tables for the cleaning staff and metal barriers covered the openings to the meal lines, not a soul in sight.

Orihime sighed. Barely even her first real day on the job and already she was horribly tardy. Not wanting to face the wrath of her new employer for being late, the girl leaned slightly against the doors and watched as her breath made faint condensation clouds against the glass. She rested her forehead on the cool plane and her hands daintily up against the door, simply for somewhere to put them. Her mind was in a haze as she thought back to what had happened only a few hours ago, although it felt like much longer than that.

She shivered, her right hand unconsciously lifting to cover the newly formed bruises on her arm. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing, but her mind wouldn't stop returning to that image of her close friend, his usually kind eyes full of desperation, the onsets of panic quickly setting into his features...

Her silver eyes opened. This was getting her nowhere. One last cloud formed on the glass as she sighed again, and lifted her weight from the door's support, steeling herself to face her more than likely unhappy boss.

After Kurosaki's unconscious body was dragged away by the two guards, Orihime had basically been on autopilot, and had wandered around aimlessly, her mind in a completely different place. The only reason she had even remembered she was supposed to be in the dining hall hours ago was when she had accidentally bumped into someone in the hall, effectively knocking her out of her stupor. Orihime had apologizing profusely for her clumsiness, but the man she had bumped into barely even seemed to notice her. She asked him if he was alright and he'd responded with unintelligible muttering, continuing on his way without so much as a glance at her, the same disturbed sort of look in his eyes as the people in what she now knew to be the rec room.

She watched his back confusedly before she slapped a palm to her forehead and ran all the way to the dining hall. Of course, she still didn't exactly know where it was located and had spent twenty minutes running around until she happened to stumble upon a sign in the middle of the hall with a big red arrow pointing in the direction of the cafeteria.

Orihime sighed again as she retraced her steps back to where she thought Aizen's office was. Just as she was rounding a corner at random, without warning, the overhead lights turned off, leaving the corridor with only the moon shining through the large windows as a means of illumination. The girl gasped lightly and quickly reached a hand against the wall for support as her eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness. Luckily, the overcast clouds from earlier in the day had cleared, leaving the bright crescent moon uncovered.

Orihime used the soft rays of light to her advantage and carefully felt her way through Las Noches. Even though she was doing a pretty good job of seeing where she was going, the teen didn't recognize anything familiar that could lead her to her designation. It didn't help that just about everything looked the same. She had begun to notice a theme: wall, door, wall, window, repeat. The fact that everything was mono-chromatically white didn't help much either.

And just like before, everything was eerily silent, the only sound being Orihime's rhythmic breathing. She tried to focus on that, tried to get her ears to forget about the awful quiet since it was starting to creep her out. When her breathing began to take on a faster pace the girl instead attempted to focus on her steps, and tried to make her feet slow to a calmer gait. She stopped, taking a deep breathes to slow her heart, and looked at the moon facing her from the window directly across from the wall she was leaning against.

The sight calmed her some, but unfortunately Orihime made the mistake of looking behind her. The moon's blue-ish light failed to illuminate the part of the hall not in the large window's path, leaving the rest of the path in pitch darkness. The girl looked in front of her only to see the same inky blackness where the windows reach ended.

A lump formed in the girl's throat and she wondered how she ever got talked into seeing all those horror movies with Tatsuki, the ones where the pretty girl stupidly goes off on her own while there's a killer on the loose, only to end up cut in half by said killer ten minutes later. The orange haired teen mentally face-palmed as memories of _her_ being the one who had begged Tatsuki to watch a scary slasher film with her, saying that she wasn't going to get nightmares and that she could handle it.

_I never should have watched those movies, stupid stupid me._ Orihime mentally berated herself as she took in a shaky breath and forced her feet to move, one foot after the other, inching closer to the blackness.

Her heart immediately quickened once she set foot into the dark part of the corridor. Orihime never did like the dark. She wasn't exactly afraid of it, per se, she just didn't like not knowing where she or anything else was.

After the longest time of groping against the wall to keep from tripping in the darkness, her eyes gleamed with hope when she spotted another window, and quickened her pace to reach the spot of light and make sure nothing odd had latched onto her during her caliginous trek.

The girl stopped just at the edge of the darkness when she saw a figure on the other side of the illuminated division. Half of the figure's form was hidden in the shadows, leaving only the lower part of its white clothing visible. Orihime hesitated by the window, a little intimidated by the sight. Her mind instantly flashed back to all those horror movies she had dragged Tatsuki to see, the pretty girl walking alone in the dark, in a mental hospital no less, the crazed psycho killer hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike...

She really didn't feel like getting stabbed tonight.

Orihime was about to make a hasty retreat, not caring about getting even more lost anymore, when she took a closer look at the white pants the person was wearing, and was just able to see a bit of his white jacket. She instantly brightened when she recognized the get up as the same type of thing the two guards had been wearing. Figuring that he must also work here too, she was a lot less wary of approaching him, now that she knew he was just an employee and not an insane, drugged up axe murderer.

She quickly crossed the bridge of moonlight but faltered a bit as she got closer and closer to the still unmoving figure. She stopped a few feet in front of him, intent on asking him for directions, but her mind was suddenly blank. Now that she was closer, she could see the outline of the man's form, but he was still partially hidden in the shadows. She waited for him to say something, since her brain apparently forgot how to talk, waited for him to ask her if she was lost or if she could use any help, but he said nothing, and just stared at her from the darkness.

Orihime was beginning to think this wasn't such a great idea, but this guy was the only person she'd seen in over an hour, and she really needed to know how to get back to Aizen's office.

"Um, e-excuse me...-"

"Inoue Orihime."

She jumped at the deep sound of his voice. "Y-yes?"

The man stepped out of the shadows, revealing a slender youth, perhaps only a few years older than herself. Orihime took this opportunity to study his profile, now that the moon's pallid light was upon him. The first thing she noticed was that he was awfully pale, like he'd never been under the sun in his life. His raven dark hair was slightly messy but managed to somehow seem perfectly in place at the same time. His hands were in the pockets of his white pants, giving an air of apathy about him. Despite this giving him a bit of a cold demeanor, Orihime couldn't help noticing that he was actually quite handsome. Orihime's gaze lifted back up to see the man's own stunningly green orbs steadily gazing back at her, or was it glaring?

"Come with me."

He turned his ram-rod straight back and walked down the hall, starting Orihime out of a daze she hadn't been aware she was in. "Oh, wait for me!" She quickly caught up to him in the darkness of the hallway, following a few paces behind him. She didn't know where he was leading her, but she assumed Aizen had sent the guy to bring her to his office so he could verbally berate her for being late. She gulped and continued to stare at her guide's perfectly straight back. He didn't speak, his footsteps were absolutely silent, especially when compared to the slight rhythmic _click_ of her own ballet flats.

The white of her taciturn companion's uniform contrasted with the darkness, making following him a bit easier to see. A few minutes and four turns later, Orihime started to vaguely remember the part of the building they had just entered, and sure enough, in just a few short moments, her quiet guide had effortlessly brought her to Aizen's office, a journey that would have probably taken her another hour to complete.

Orihime's mood brightened considerably at having finally found the place, and she turned to thank her guide with a bright smile. "Thank you very mu-"

"Be quiet, woman."

She blinked in surprise at his sudden rudeness. She watched as he leaned against the wall opposite the door to Aizen's office, his green eyes fixed on a spot in front of him. She must have been staring at him longer than she thought. He turned his emerald gaze on her once more, causing her to shrink away from his cold glare.

With confusion clearly written on her face, Orihime looked away but she could still feel his eyes on her back. She took one last deep breath and knocked on the door.

* * *

The room was tense and uncomfortable, at least that's what it felt like to Orihime. Even though the office was quite large and spacious, the girl couldn't help feeling a little claustrophobic. Fifteen minutes had gone by since Orihime had entered the room, politely declining the tea her employer offered her upon seeing her. For fifteen minutes she'd sat in the white armchair across from Aizen's desk. During that time, he had sat at the head of his desk, his head once again resting on a closed fist, lightly sipping his tea and making pleasant small talk with her, asking if she liked Las Noches, her thoughts on the weather, to which she had replied gloomy, causing him to chuckle politely. In his pleasantries, she also found out that Las Noches had a curfew. Apparently certain wings of the building had a lights-out policy and she just happened to be in one of those sections. He acted as if nothing was amiss and that the air wasn't terribly overbearing. All the while, Orihime waited anxiously for the other shoe to drop.

Aizen smiled,"So, I take it Ulquiorra gave you a tour of the facility?"

Figuring that was the name of the guy who had lead her here, Orihime flustered out a yes, even though it hadn't really been a tour at all and more of a silent march. Aizen smiled in that eerie way again and Orihime just about suffocated in the awkwardness. Well, if he wasn't going to say anything...

"By the way, about the dining hall," and just when she thought she was off the hook,"it has come to my attention that you failed to show up on time, is that correct?"

Orihime fidgeted nervously,"I'm terribly sorry Aizen-sama, I lost track of the time, it won't happen again." She said this all while keeping her eyes on her lap, that odd, heavy pressure falling on her when she met his eyes. The girl bit her bottom lip, bracing herself for the imminent rebuke. It never came.

When the silence continued she looked up to see Aizen drinking his tea with a completely relaxed face, without a single trace of ire. Finally, after a particularly long sip, he set down his cup and smiled once again. "It's quite alright Miss Orihime, as long as it doesn't happen again." He either didn't notice or ignored the surprised look on her face.

He swiveled his chair to see the overhead clock on his right. "My my, it has gotten late hasn't it?" Orihime saw that it was only 9:30. "You've stayed much longer than you needed, you're free to go, Ulquiorra will escort you to the exit."

Aizen lean back in his chair and smiled at her again. For a moment, Orihime could do nothing but gape at him like an idiot. Was that it? No epic firing? No 'get the hell out'? Not even a giant lecture on the importance of punctuality? Wow.

She quickly regained control over her facial expression before bowing her head and thanking him profusely. He chuckled,"there is no need to thank me, Miss Inoue, I'll see you tomorrow."

Orihime closed the door behind her and huffed a sighed of relief. She still couldn't believe Aizen had just let her off the hook like that, though she should be counting her blessings instead of trying to find some hidden, ulterior motive in his leniency. The auburn haired girl looked up to see her escort, Ulquiorra, in the exact same spot as before against the wall. With his hands in his pockets and his green eyes in a steady glower, he turned once more without a word and moved down the hall.

Orihime certainly didn't appreciate his cold treatment, but all she could do was follow him. She watched the moon's light wash upon his form when they passed another window, her thoughts wandering in the silence. Her companion still hadn't spoken a word the entire time. Usually in this sort of situation, Orihime would attempt to break the silence by spouting a random thought, or go into a ranting monologue about an interesting dream she had involving robot pirates, or at the very least her stomach would growl loudly signaling her hunger, anything to break the stillness. But all of her little arbitrary icebreakers died before they could even be formed when she looked at the straight back of the person she held responsible for the awkwardness.

Although, Orihime supposed that not every second had to be filled with inane chatter, but if she didn't find something to occupy herself, her mind would surely wander back to what happened earlier, and she didn't think she could handle thinking about that just yet. Maybe later, when she was under the warm covers in her modest apartment, would she allow herself to think about it, just not yet.

Orihime used the silence as an opportunity to study her escort's profile, the dim light of the moon cast upon him as it was. She wondered how someone could walk with such ram-rod straight posture and yet still hold such an air of apathy. He was incredibly pale, the white of his uniform literally a shade away from his skin color, his dark hair a stark contrast to all the white. Orihime thought he looked like a ghost, the corner of her mouth lifting at the thought. She wondered if he could feel her eyes on him and was just choosing to ignore her.

The teen noticed too late when her pale guide abruptly stopped, and almost ran straight into him. "Um, why did you...?" He barely even glanced back at her, but she thought she detected a hint of annoyance in his impassive green eyes, instead extracting a hand from his pocket and opened the white door on his right.

Orihime peeked around his form to see what looked to be a storage closet, how he managed to tell the difference between this door from any of the other repetitive white entries she'll never know. She fidgeted in the archway when Ulquiorra smoothly walked inside, not sure whether to follow him. He didn't even bother to turn on any lights. Orihime squinting in the darkness to catch his pallid form. The storage space was small, the tall shelves stocked with boxes and other paraphernalia making it seem even more cramped. Ulquiorra stopped in front of one shelf in particular, the hand used to open the door rising from its limp pose at his side to reach inside a label-less, plain brown box. He paused, and turned his head in her direction. She was immediately aware of his piercing gaze suddenly upon her, and shrank a bit against the door frame.

The auburn beauty was used to people staring at her, some in lust, others in envy, but his gaze was somehow far more unsettling than any of those combined. She felt as if his green eyes were staring straight into her soul and it unnerved her. She fiddled her fingers, fidgeted her feet, and bit her lip. Her gray eyes connected with his green orbs for a second that felt all too much like an eternity. Perhaps he could sense her discomfort or perhaps he was incapable of that sort of empathy. Either way, Orihime was glad when broke his gaze and pulled out something made of a white material.

Wordlessly, he held out his arm for her to take the garment. Her fingers briefly brushed against his when she accepted the clothing. He was cold.

"That is your uniform. From now on you will wear that whenever you are in the confines of this building."

His deep voice resonated in the dark space as Orihime held her new uniform in front of her. It was a white dress that looked long enough to reach her ankles. It was very modest, with long white sleeves and only one or two thin streaks of black standing out against the white. Was that a cape?

"You will report to me tomorrow morning, do not bother Aizen-sama with anything without first asking me if it is alright to seek him, understand."

His voice snapped her out of her observations. He hadn't even made the last part of his sentence sound like a question, and so it didn't really surprise her when he didn't give her a chance to reply, simply turning on his heel and gliding down the pathway once more.

"U-um, Ulquiorra, wait! When am I supposed get here? And where will I find you?" She saw his shoulders stiffen a bit and quickly relax at the sound of his name, but he didn't answer her and just continued on his way. Orihime was getting frustrated. The least he could do was answer a simple, valid question.

Orihime's emotions were practically boiling as they once again walked in total silence. Eventually, Ulquiorra stopped at two clear doors leading to the outside. Actually, he didn't even stop, he just smoothly pivoted when he knew that Orihime could find the exit two feet away. By this time, all the day's hectic emotions had shaken inside of Orihime and she found her self clenching her hands and biting her lip enough to draw blood.

When Ulquiorra was just an inch away as he was passing her without so much as a 'see you tomorrow,' she tried with all her might not to lash out and throw all her angry emotions out on him. But try as she might, the guy just made her so _frustrated_.

"You know, you could at least tell me when and where to find you so I'm not wandering around this place for an hour again."

He stopped, his back still facing her even when he could hear the poorly concealed agitation in her voice. "Ten o'clock, don't be late." He hadn't even turned his head to speak over his shoulder. She could have sworn she detected a hint of mocking in that last part, but shook it off as just her imagination.

In just five steps, he was shrouded in the shadows and was soon out of her sight, her ears unconsciously listening for his footsteps, but hearing none.

_What an...interesting guy._

Frustrating was more like it, but Orihime knew she wasn't quite being fair, the stress the day had brought on her finally bubbling over. She sighed as she felt her brief anger dissolve into tiredness. Slowly, and with one a quick glance back into the darkness, she stepped through the glass doors and into the cool chill of the night.

She tilted her head back, her eyes closed, as she breathe in the crisp air, her mind clearing until the only thing tying her back to Las Noches was the white uniform she held in her hand. She felt something wet hit her face and she opened her silver orbs, expecting to see the bright, celestial stars and luminous moon greeting her back.

It was raining.


	3. Chapter 3

**Warning: Rated T for swearing**

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Bleach

"The insane, on occasion, are not without their charms."-Kurt Vonnequt, Jr.

**Chapter 3**

The mid-morning sky was a smooth gray when Orihime made her way up the paved pathway that lead to Las Noches. The institute looked intimidating against the steely sky and Orihime wouldn't be the least bit surprised if a sudden bolt of lightning struck in the background just to make the place look even more menacing. Well, it's not that Las Noches looked rather sinister, though the dead silence that seemed to follow the building like the plague and the lack of inhabitants in a five mile radius did make the place a tad creepier than your average mental hospital, it just wasn't on top of every young teenager's Where I Want To Go On Summer Break list.

Orihime sighed and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. True to her word, when Orihime arrived home the day before, she spent a great deal of time curled up on her bed, sobs racking through her body over and over again. She had heard people tell her that crying doesn't solve anything a number of times, but while she had forgotten to eat dinner and had gotten a little over three hours of sleep, she felt much better. Her insides no longer felt ready to heave all over her shoes and her eyes had stopped stinging whenever she thought about her friend-who-shall-not-be-named, although she was still nowhere close to her old, effervescent self.

The smell of rain was all around as Orihime fingered the cuff of her uniform, which reached the middle of her back-hand. She had tried it on for the first time roughly an hour ago and was pleasantly surprised at how well it fit her. In the quick once over she'd given herself in the mirror before heading off to work, she noted how it managed to hug her curves in just the right way and how it didn't feel too tight anywhere. Although, the whole thing seemed a bit extravagant for a mental hospital attendant, and a trainee at that. While she was able to move freely and and walk just fine, it certainly didn't look like something you'd wear while earning less than minimum wage. The dress looked more expensive than anything she had in her closet and the fabric felt softer than feathers against her skin. What could puffy shoulders and a cape possibly do in a psychiatric hospital anyway?

Orihime paused between the tall, intricate iron gates that bordered the institution. She observed the large expanse of lush, green grass that grew on both sides of the brick walkway leading up to the glass doors of Las Noches. The building was absolutely massive, Orihime bet it was worth more money then she would ever see in her life. She imagined a place like that could certainly afford to clad their employees in overly garish uniforms. But, she remembered back to the day before, the men's uniform didn't seem nearly as complicated.

Orihime shook her head and continued walking. She was really just stalling when she should have been in the halls of Las Noches by now, doing...-

She paused mid-stride and blinked owlishly.

Come to think of it, what was she supposed to do today? Aizen never really said any of the details of her new job, he just kind of smiled and gave it to her, and cold, impassive Ulquiorra hadn't said anything either and had pretty much ignored her the whole time. Orihime hadn't a clue what the heck she was supposed to _do_, and thanks to Ulquiorra, didn't know where to go either. Orihime had concluded last night when she was in a fit of brooding, that Ulquiorra was a jerk. He had certainly acted like one.

Orihime glared daggers at the moving ground when she returned to walking, a spark of frustration lighting her veins when she remembered his attitude towards her. She decided that when he met her at the front doors to completely give him the cold shoulder like he had done to her, giving short to no replies when and if he said anything. A bit childish, she admits, but she was only seventeen so what the heck.

Orihime strode through the doors, in quite the mood, only to find...no one. She turned her head from one side to the other, scanning the lobby for any sign of Ulquiorra, but the place was as silent and empty as yesterday. She checked her wrist watch, 9:57 am. She furrowed her thin brows and scanned the room again. Ulquiorra had said ten o'clock sharp, hadn't he?

Orihime shuffled a bit before taking a seat in one of the many chairs placed in the lobby. Ulquiorra had sounded pretty serious when he told her to be here on time, though she imagined he had never not sounded serious in his entire life. The sullen beauty fidgeted with her fingers in her lap as she waited for Ulquiorra. She tapped her shoes and counted seconds. She checked her watch. 10:16.

That jerk, making her worry over being late only to be a no-show himself...

Orihime really wished she had been smart and asked Aizen what she was to do, but her new job had been far from the forefront of her mind yesterday.

Her head rested against her palm, her elbow leaning on the arm rest of her chair, tapping her finger against her cheek, willing herself not to completely space out, for she knew where her thoughts would undoubtedly go.

When it was clear that no one was going to come, Orihime stood and eyed the white hallways. There were three, one to her left, right, and one in front. The empty reception desk was tucked snugly in the corner between the front and left hall entrances. She tried to remember any directional details from yesterday but quickly gave up, the place was a maze. Instead, she inhaled deeply and pointed her whole arm out in front of her, moving it from each hallway in time with her inner chant.

_Eeny meeny miney..._

The ever-knowing rhyme pointed her in the direction of her fate down the center hall.

* * *

"Ehhh, this is hopeless!"

After a solid thirty minutes of wandering, Orihime finally had a goal in life; to make a map of Las Noches. How big was this place anyway? The architect who designed the hospital couldn't possibly have been so cruel as to put five dead-ends, three wrong turns, and a door that literally had a _wall_ directly behind it all in a single hallway, right? She was beginning to think whoever made this place was either a habitual drinker or was just as sick in the head as the people his structure was meant to hold. At one point, she even ended up back in the lobby while going straight.

Oh, if only she had some sort of flare gun to shoot off so someone would rescue her from this architectural nightmare...

She turned a corner with barely a thought(she'd been doing that a lot after opening the door-to-nowhere and beginning to panic) and the world answered her prayer.

"Oof!"

Orihime's head made a painful collision with an unseen force and she fell to the ground in a heap.

"Owie...oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Worried brown eyes met her own dazed grays. The redhead blinked from her spot on the floor as a young girl who looked around her age offered a hand to help her up.

"U-um, I'm fine! Really, thank you," Orihime took the offered hand and was up on her feet again. She rubbed her forehead, wincing a bit. She noticed that the girl had a giant red mark on hers and Orihime wouldn't be surprised if she had an identical one herself.

"Oh! You're forehead is red! I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have been daydreaming," the girl apologized, her eyes trained on her shoes.

Orihime held up her hands,"oh, don't be sorry! It was my fault! I should have been paying more attention to where I was going!"

The brown eyed girl smiled apologetically, the worry still in her face. Orihime noticed that she was wearing a white uniform that was similar to hers, though not as intricate and minus a cape. Orihime brightened in hope.

"Say, do you work here?" Orihime pointed to the girl's uniform, not even trying to hide the hope in her voice.

"U-um, yes, I do. Are you new here?" The girl eyed Orihime's uniform with a curious brow.

"Yeah, I am, but, I'm a bit lost..." Orihime blushed and rubbed the back of her head bashfully.

The girl giggled a bit and smiled kindly,"don't be embarrassed, it took me weeks to finally figure out this place, did you find the door with the wall behind it, too?" Orihime nodded solemnly and the girl laughed, saying not to worry and that she had actually ran straight into the wall on her first day.

Orihime laughed with her, she could already tell that they would become great friends.

"My name's Inoue Orihime, by the way," the redhead said as they walked side-by-side.

"I'm Hinamori Momo, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

Hinamori turned out to be an attendant at the hospital and offered to show Orihime the ropes. Orihime was ecstatic to have found someone so nice helping her out. It was a pleasant change from the last person who was supposed to help her and ended up being a cold, neglectful, inconsiderate jerk.

Yes, she was still just a little mad at Ulquiorra for ditching her.

"While I'm not exactly sure what your job is, mine is basically just to watch over the patients and help out at group therapy, your's is probably similar, judging by how new you are." Hinamori pushed a door on her left and the two entered a large room filled with people, all clad in white. The room was full of chatter and card games, much like the day before.

Hinamori smiled at the two men who flanked either side of the entrance. They nodded in return and Orihime noticed that they were wearing white uniforms as well. The two met her eyes at the same time, both with uncomfortably serious visages. Orihime quickly averted her gaze from the two sentinels.

"So, here, you basically just make sure the patients are alright and no one causes a scene, it's pretty easy," Hinamori said and took her place leaning against the far wall. Orihime stood beside her and looked around the room again. She noticed that the patient uniforms were just simple white shirts with a slight v-neck and white pants, while the employees were garbed in white jackets and dresses mostly. Geez, she thought, why is this place so _bright?_

Just then, a flash of orange clashed against the monochromatic scene.

"Hinamori-chaaan, just where have you been off to all this time?" A voluptuous beauty now stood tall in front of them, a generous smile on her full lips. Orihime couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous woman, along with about half of the other occupants in the room.

"Matsumoto-san!" Hinamori gave the newcomer a quick embrace and held her at arm's length,"I thought you were in group session right now?" Matsumoto laughed,"oh, that? Pfft, those things are always so boring, and the counselor in charge of it is such a drag, too. He's always asking why we never want to share, but how can we, when he's got that damn clipboard all the time and writing down everything we say for 'future analyzation'? So, I ditched and came here."

She ended with a smile and giggled at Hinamori's disapproving look. "Szayel-san's not that bad..."

"You're right, he's worse! And that creepy calculating _look_ he gives us whenever we _do_ talk..." She made a shudder of distaste. Her blue eyes finally seemed to notice Orihime who was standing awkwardly to the side. A smile once again adorned her stunning features.

"Oh, who's this? A new attendant?" She stuck a graceful hand towards Orihime,"My name's Matsumoto Rangiku, it's nice to meet you!" Orihime shook her hand with and smiled,"I'm Inoue Orihime, and I guess I am new attendant, um, at least I think so."

"She just started yesterday, I guess Aizen-sama had assigned someone to help her and show her what to do, but...-"

"But that someone didn't turn out to be very nice and didn't show up to get me when he was supposed to," Orihime's previous anger began to simmer, her hand in a fist as if she had future plans to knock a certain pale, mental hospital worker in the head.

Matsumoto laughed and put a spirited hand on her shoulder,"sounds like a real prick, eh? Don't worry! You can hang out with us if you like."

"Matsumoto-san, while I agree about Inoue-san staying with us, why did you imply that you're a member of the staff," Matsumoto just laughed at Hinamori's remark.

"So, Matsumoto-san, you're a patient here?" Orihime asked, her eyes observing the blonde. She didn't look that insane to her...

"Well, technically she's a patient here, but-" Hinamori started but was cut off by Matsumoto.

"Yes, I am a patient, but it's completely voluntarily." She grinned at Orihime's incredulous look.

"Wait, you mean you're here on your own? Um, excuse me for asking, but, _why?_" The busty beauty chuckled and tucked a wavy lock of hair behind her ear.

"I thought it'd be fun. I always wondered what it was like to be in a nuthouse so I checked myself in to get the experience." She seemed thoroughly amused by Orihime's gaping expression.

Hinamori placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Matsumoto-san claims to not be insane, but since she 'voluntarily' checked herself into a psychiatric hospital, we're still deciding."

"Hey! I heard that!"

Hinamori giggled and smiled at her friend,"I'm just joking Matsumoto-san! You know we love you, this place would be a lot more boring if you weren't here."

The blonde's pout was replaced by a dazzling smile. She was about to say something when a manicured (and oddly masculine) hand suddenly clasped her shoulder and another hand mirroring the other, only on Hinamori instead.

"Yes, yes, while we would all miss Matsumoto terribly if she were to leave, this place would be a much, much darker place if _I _weren't here to light up the room with my radiance-oof!."

"Shut it, Yumichika, everyone here knows that 'radiance' you're always yapping about is what got you in here."

The man who had appeared rubbed the back of his head where it was hit by another. "Ikkaku, how dare you hit me! If a scar were to mar my perfection it'll be all you're fault."

"Eh? What 'perfection' are you talking about, you should be proud to have scars! They let others know just how many fights you've participated in and how you're gonna beat them to dust!"

"You're so barbaric..."

"Come over here and say that to my face."

Orihime observed the bickering pair in bemusement. The one that had arrived first, Yumichika, looked a bit strange to Orihime. He had colorful feathers protruding from his eyelashes and an orange scarf-like cloth around his neck which contrasted against his white patient uniform. The second, Ikkaku, had red markings at the corners of his eyes and not a hair in sight. Either he shaved his head or he was grievously bald. Orihime kind of felt bad for the guy if it was the latter.

Yumichika turned away from his friend who was still hollering at him when he noticed Orihime once again standing to the side awkwardly. In a flash, he had both of her hands clasped in his own, his face about an inch away from hers. "U-um, what're you-"

"Your beauty is remarkable! That glossy hair, those luscious curves, those huge eyes," Orihime started getting a little freaked out when she thought she saw actual sparkles hovering around him. She sweatdropped as he continued,"Yes, you're beauty is truly something, though not nearly as remarkable as mine, it's definitely a pleasant change from all these ugly simpletons."

He didn't seem to notice the glares he received from that last comment. Orihime gave a wary smile. By this point, she was shooting pleading glances at Hinamori to come save her, but the brown eyed attendant just gave her an apologetic look in return.

Ikkaku grabbed the vain man by his orange neck cloth and hauled him backwards. "Who the hell are you calling ugly, narcissist."

Yumichika righted himself and gave his jaw-length hair a slight toss with a flick of his hand, it immediately going back into place perfectly. "You should know by now, Ikkaku, that in this world, beauty is everything. You should feel blessed to be in my presence, especially when you have the audacity to look the way you do on a daily basis."

A vein visibly throbbed in the taller man's shiny head. "You're just trying to piss me off now...-"

"Okay, guys! That's enough, you're making a scene," Hinamori finally intervened, stepping in the middle of them and putting a hand on both of their chests. Ikkaku sent his verbal opponent one last glare before turning to Orihime, who had watched the whole thing from a safe distance.

"Don't mind him, he's so narcissistic that his family dumped him here so they wouldn't have to deal with him." Orihime blinked up at him and was about to reply, but Yumichika beat her to the punch. "What a cruel thing to say. At least I didn't get expelled from school for bringing in a sword in ninth grade," he laughed, knowing that he had struck a nerve. Ikkaku retaliated.

"Keh, bring that up all you want, at least the doctors didn't mistake me for being gender confused!"

Matsumoto, who had been standing idly by the whole time, decided she wanted to get involved in the whole scenario. "You're one to talk, cueball. Before, all the docs here thought you had Intermittent Explosive Disorder from all that pent up anger you've got in that shiny head of yours."

He returned her comment with a well-placed "shut the hell up."

Hinamori gently tugged Orihime closer to her, pulling the girl's attention from the fighting trio. She cupped a hand and whispered in the redhead's ear,"They're always like that, you kind of get used to it after a while. Yumichika-san has a narcissistic personality disorder and Ikkaku-san...well, we did think he had Intermittent Explosive Disorder, but now...-"

"Now we know he's just a fight maniac."

"Eep!"

The two girls quickly turned to see that the other three had stopped their bickering to listen in on their conversation. Yumichika smiled while their hearts were hammering against their rib cages in surprise and finished where he left off. "The only reason they keep him here is because they think there's some deeper, psychological reason for his battle lust, and plus who would want this guy out on the street?"

Ikkaku smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Those doctors don't know what they're talking about, I fight for fight's sake."

Yumichika leaned into them and whispered conspiratorially. "Personally, I think he might have a touch of paranoia as well. He used to carry around a sword everywhere he went, and I mean everywhere. Even the bathroom..."

"I can hear you, you know."

They all chuckled at his annoyed expression.

And so, Orihime spent the rest of the day with her new friends. When Ikkaku and Yumichika had to leave for a group therapy session, the three remaining girls would talk about nothing while standing against the wall to "look like we're working" as Matsumoto put it. And when Matsumoto was caught by another staff member, she hugged them both before being hauled back to therapy, completely tuning out her escort's scolding with a smile and laughing when his face turned red. When it was just Orihime and Hinamori left, the kind girl showed her around the hospital, giving her pointers and landmarks to help her new directionally challenged friend navigate around the place.

Orihime checked her wrist-watch to see that she only had an hour left of work, or at least that's when Hinamori got to go home, guessing that their shifts were probably the same. With a smile, she laid her final playing card on the table; an Ace of Hearts.

"I win!"

Ikkaku cursed and banged his fist on the table while Orihime laughed in victory and began to re-shuffle the cards. All five of them were back in the rec room with Matsumoto triumphantly holding up a pack of cards when she reappeared. They were all sitting around one of the many tables enjoying a riveting game of five-way War, and Orihime found that she was surprisingly good at it, even if it was more of a game of luck. Ikkaku had actually put a crack in the plastic table-top from slamming his cards down so much, as if the force would magically change his card into a King or Queen instead of a 2. Just then, while Matsumoto was patting Ikkaku's losing-streak back rather roughly and Hinamori but a comforting hand on his shoulder, the door was slammed open by an out of breath hospital worker.

"There's a fight going on in the West Wing! We need help, fast!" he said in a rush, running off as soon as the message was delivered.

Two guards who were standing by quickly sprinted towards the door to follow him.

"A fight, eh? Sounds exciting." Ikkaku grinned, jumping from his chair and raced out the door, almost knocking over another patient.

"Ikkaku, wait-! oh, what's the point," Yumichika quickly chased after his friend against Hinamori's protests. "Oh no, we can't let them get into another fight, they were both in the medical wing for weeks after the last one!" Both Hinamori and Matsumoto sprang from their seats and bounded towards the door, leaving a stunned Orihime behind.

"Hey, guys, wait for me!"

Orihime left the cards in a heap on the table and ran to the door. She was barely two steps out before something hard blind-sided her and sent her reeling to the floor for the second time that day. She sat back on her heels and rubbed her forehead where it had smacked into the floor. "Owie..."

A groan from behind alerted her to what had ran into her, or rather who. She looked back to see a man with wild blue hair gripping his jaw in pain. "Gah, what the hell? Watch where you're going, you can't just run out of a room like that without a warning!"

"S-sorry, it was an accident!"

Orihime ran a hand through her sunset hair and quickly noticed something was off, besides how tousled it was from her little rendezvous with the floor. Panic began to rise in her chest as she scanned the ground fiercely for her lost possession. She looked at the spikey haired man and saw her treasure right next to his foot. "My hairpin!"

She pushed the man back with barely a thought, her beloved blue hairpin the only thing on her mind. She quickly picked it up from the floor and cradled it right above her heart. After a moment, she finally looked up to see that the man she had shoved away in the haze of having found her hairpin was glaring at her and cursing up a storm.

The man scowled as he placed one hand on his knee and the other on the ground to hoist himself up. The action revealed his chiseled jaw and an angry red mark from where his chin had apparently crashed into the floor. He didn't even bother to offer her a hand up and instead eyed the end of the hallway where he was headed with a calculating look. That look quickly changed into a look of anger and he glared daggers at Orihime, who had just risen to her feet.

She was about to apologize again, but her back made a sudden acquaintance with the wall when the man punched a fist into the material, only an inch away from her head. She could feel her hands shaking in sudden fear as he glared icily at her.

"Do you know what you just did?" He growled at her and she tried to back away but couldn't due to the wall against her back. "That fight in the West Wing's probably over by now and I missed it because of you!"

The fist that was right beside her head had a slight trembled in his rage. Orihime noticed that he had markings under his eyes like Ikkaku's, only his were green. She would have laughed if she weren't so terrified. He quirked a brow and took a closer look at Orihime's face. "Hey, I've never seen you around here before. A newcomer, huh?"

He face suddenly broke into a terrifying grin and Orihime clenched her eyes away from the sight, willing herself to disappear.

"Grimmjow, what do you think you're doing."

He turned with a look promising pain to whoever dared to interrupt him and paused, his face full of loathing.

"Ulquiorra."

Orihime quickly opened her eyes to see her previous escort standing only a few feet away, the same serious, melancholic look on his face as before.

Grimmjow retracted his fist from the wall and the two were soon face-to-face, staring the other down. "What the fuck do you want?"

"I do believe I asked you a question."

Grimmjow bared his teeth,"and just what the hell makes you think I have to answer the you?" Ulquiorra didn't even bat an eye and replied in monotone,"Aizen-sama would be most displeased if you were to damage his newest employee."

Grimmjoy scoffed,"Like I give a damn!" Ulquiorra matched his glare with a derogatory look. "If you value your life, I'd suggest you know your place. I'm sure Aizen-sama wouldn't mind me disposing of the likes of trash."

The fiery combatant's clenched fists trembled at his sides. "What did you call me..."

An eternity went by as the two polar opposites glared piercing swords into the other. The tension in the air was thick, the world waiting to see who would make the first strike. Finally, Grimmjow stepped forward and Orihime thought he would make an attack, but instead, he simply walked forward, his shoulder shoving roughly against Ulquiorra's on the way.

"Keh, whatever, I have better things to do than kick your ass."

Ulquiorra stayed silent and unmoving as Grimmjow walked away and out of sight. Orihime released a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding. She ran a shaky hand through her hair and gave Ulquiorra a tiny smile. "Um, thanks."

He said nothing and simply stepped forward. Orihime thought he was going to come over to her and ask her if she was okay, but instead he just passed right by her. He stopped a few steps away and spoke over his shoulder. "Come, your shift is over, I will escort you to the door." Orihime blinked and was about to follow him, her mind still processing what had just happened, when she remembered about her friends that had run off to some mysterious fight. She spun on her heel, intent on rushing to the West Wing to make sure they were all right.

"I need to go check on my friends first!"

She had just made her first running step when Ulquiorra's voice pulled back her attention. "They are most likely in the medical wing by now, there is no point in seeing them."

Orihime turned to see Ulquiorra still standing in the middle of the hallway, apparently expecting her to follow him without hesitance, and gave him a look of defiance. "Then I need to make sure they're okay for myself!" She thought back to earlier when Hinamori had given her directions to where all the important parts of the building were and ran in the opposite direction, past Ulquiorra to the medical wing.

* * *

"Ouch! Ouch! Hey, watch it!"

"I'm sorry! But I need to put this on so it won't become infected!"

Orihime sat along with Yumichika and Matsumoto while Hinamori applied antiseptic to the still slightly bleeding cut on Ikkaku's cheek. He yelped from the stinging.

"Oh quit yelling, you big baby. You wouldn't be in this state if you hadn't jumped on that guy! Honestly, he was swinging a chair around, what were you thinking?"

Ikkaku winced as Hinamori applied a band-aid to the cut,"Shut up, Matsumoto, that guy took a cheap shot at me when I wasn't looking."

"Uh huh, a chair leg to the face when he was right in front of you caught you off guard." The wounded patient gave Yumichika the middle finger and braced himself as Hinamori was about to apply antiseptic to the gash on his forearm. "You really should stop throwing yourself into fights like that, Ikkaku-san..."

"I can't help that I haven't gotten into a good rumble with anyone strong in months. A fight's barely even considered a fight if it's with a bunch of weaklings, and that guy had an unfair advantage!"

"A chair?" Yumichika deadpanned.

"Yes, a chair." He growled in return.

"Okay, you two, enough fighting. Ikkaku-san, why don't you get some rest?"

He grumbled, but waved goodbye to his friends none the less as they filed out of the clinic room, wishing him to get well soon.

Hinamori hugged Orihime before they all parted ways for the day. She sighed when they were all out of sight and turned to go. She jumped when she saw Ulquiorra leaning against the wall in all his hands-in-pockets glory. "U-ulquiorra! You didn't have to wait for me."

"Aizen-sama assigned me to escort you until you are capable enough to handle your new position on your own. I see that you've managed to stay in one piece throughout the day." Orihime's fury from what seemed like ages ago suddenly sparked through her veins in full force. If he was supposed to guide her through the ropes of this place, then where the hell was he for the past eight hours?

He must have noticed her accusing anger and answered her unspoken question. "I was not able to escort you today because of more important engagements."

Not even an "I'm sorry."

_Prick._

She held back the desire to verbally rip him to shreds, a rare feeling for the usually happy-go-lucky high-schooler.

She noticed his green eyes observing her uniform. She couldn't help the slight flush of embarrassment at being so heavily scrutinized. She expected him to make some snide remark, but was taken aback at what he said next.

"Surprisingly, it suits you."

She blinked and watched as he turned his back to her incredulous look and began towards the exit. She followed at a steady pace. Even with Hinamori's tips and advice, the place was still a directional mess. They walked without a word, only this time the world wasn't drowned in a complete hail of silence. Orihime listened to the heavy rain pounding against Las Noches. She dreaded having to walk home in the ensuing downpour.

When they reached the exit, Orihime stared outside forlornly. It was raining so hard it looked like just one continuous sheet of water was falling to the earth. The young girl was about to step outside without so much as a word to Ulquiorra, her lack of manners a passive aggressive punishment to him, when he surprised her yet again.

Ulquiorra pulled out a black cylinder shaped object from his pocket and held it out to her. Orihime stared, unsure, before hesitantly taking the object from his pale hand. She observed what was in her hand for a moment before looking up to ask what it was, only to see him already walking away. His ramrod straight back was beginning to become a familiar sight.

The rain continued to fall in droves as Orihime realized what he had given her.

A small, plain, black umbrella with a total lack of decorations except for a single, bright green '4'.


End file.
